Cogent Communications is a multinational internet service provider based in the United States. Cogent's primary services consist of Internet access and data transport, offered on a fiber optic, IP data-only network, along with colocation in data centers.[3]

Cogent's Autonomous System (AS) number, 174, which is its collection of connected Internet Protocol (IP) routing prefixes, has one of the highest-ranked connectivity degrees on the Internet.[4][5] This indicates a high level of connectivity with other network nodes.

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Cogent was founded in 1999 at the peak of the industry's growth and was funded by angel investors including members of Keiretsu Forum.[6] In three years, Cogent acquired 13 other failing carriers, purchasing $14 billion in capital for $60 million, including $4 billion worth of Property, Plant and Equipment.[7]

On March 14, 2008, after Cogent stopped routing packets from European network provider Telia (AS 1299), their two networks lost mutual connectivity.[21] The connection was reestablished March 28, 2008 with interconnection points in both the United States and Europe.[23]

On June 6, 2011, Cogent automatically stopped peering with The Department of Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) causing a disruption for 3 days.[24]

In November 2015, CenturyLink signed a new long-term bilateral interconnection agreement with Cogent Communications.[25]

Cogent has yet to agree on peering with the biggest IPv6 connectivity provider, Hurricane Electric. As of March 2016, direct connectivity between the two networks is impossible.[26] Cogent and Google have also stopped IPv6 peering in 2016.[27] This is rumored to be closely tied to Cogent leveraging Google's IPv4 traffic via a paid customer or to maintain Settlement-Free Interconnect with another network.[28]

In February 2017, Cogent blocked many piracy and streaming sites including The Pirate Bay.[29] This was unintentional due to a poorly crafted Spanish court order.[30]